UCLA's Lauren Barnes Will Play A Huge Role if The Bruins Are To Shut Down Stanford on Sunday

(All times listed are Eastern.)

UCLA vs Stanford (4:00)

Stanford survived being thrown to the lions at the Coliseum and now have a likely Pac-10 decider against the Bruins at Drake in Los Angeles. This is, of course, a rematch of last year’s NCAA semi-final which saw Christen Press settle matters in extra time to deny Jillian Ellis’ side once more. The Bruins have been all over the place in 2010, but their win over Notre Dame shows that, on their day, UCLA can down just about anybody in the country. The Bruins will have to be at their very best to run with the Cardinal though, and given UCLA’s fitful form on Sundays this year, that might be a big ask.

Miami (FL) vs Wake Forest (12:00)

Miami sent shockwaves through the ACC hierarchy when they struck twice late on against Duke to down the Blue Devils and give themselves a big leg up in the race to the ACC Tournament. The Canes will be looking to score another three points on Sunday afternoon in Coral Gables against Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons were pushed hard by NC State before prevailing in extra time but are finding life without Rachel Nuzzolese difficult. They’ll be hoping for a little easier time on Sunday but are unlikely to find it against a Hurricane team high on confidence after two straight clean sheets in league play.

Boston College vs Virginia Tech (1:00)

What exactly has happened to Boston College?

OK, that may be exaggerating the Eagles’ recent form, but most were expecting BC to press on after their 3-2 win over North Carolina on the road, but instead, the Eagles have lost their last two games in close, painful fashion. There aren’t many that will begrudge them defeats to high flyers Virginia and Maryland, but the manner of those losses, in extra time to the Cavs and on a last second header to the Terps, has to sting. Now BC has to win and keep winning if they want to have any hope of lifting the ACC title at the end of the season. Virginia Tech’s already shown they can hang with the big teams in the league having defeated Maryland last week. The Hokies will surely be looking to double their ACC points total with another big upset on Sunday.

Hofstra vs George Mason (1:00)

Hofstra have romped their way through their schedule after suffering a heavy opening day loss to Boston College. The Pride look poised for making a run at an at-large bid if they can’t claim the CAA title which looks less likely with each successful win. Their challenge on Sunday is to clip the wings of one of the cache of teams tied for second in the league, George Mason. Mason gave Maryland an almighty fright earlier this season, pushing the Terps to extra time before falling, showing that the Patriots can give most teams some trouble. Hofstra will have to be extra careful if Omolyn Davis is in the lineup for the Patriots. Davis is a full Jamaican international and a tremendously dangerous player with enough raw skill to garner some attention in the WPS draft after she graduates this season.

Louisville vs Georgetown (1:00)

Louisville were able to right the ship, at least temporarily, with a dominating win over Villanova on Friday after three straight losses in which the Cardinals conceded two goals or more. Georgetown promises to be a tougher test come Sunday afternoon, as the Hoyas are themselves coming off a big win, the Hoyas having topped Cincinnati. Georgetown is well regarded in the computers but still is looking for that one win they can hang their hat on come selection time. Louisville isn’t quite a marquee team, but victory for the visitors would still be a feather in their cap. Meanwhile, the Cardinals want to show that the prolonged losing streak was the real blip, not their win against Villanova.

Notre Dame vs Rutgers (1:00)

Rutgers are pretty close to Last Chance Saloon territory after Friday’s 2-0 defeat at DePaul. The Scarlet Knights now have the dubious task of trying to get something in South Bend against a Notre Dame team that is clicking on all cylinders at the moment. Besides the slip against UCLA, the Irish have looked tremendous and have made short work of their underpowered Big East opposition thus far. Nikki Weiss and crew will be looking for another clean sheet as they march towards the postseason.

UCF vs Rice (1:00)

The Conference USA title could very well be decided in Orlando on Sunday when Central Florida hosts a Rice team that has rallied since the dismissal of coach Chris Huston on September 17. Associate Head Coach Nicky Adams has stepped into the breach, leading the Owls to the top of table and creating an improbable story in the process. Central Florida will provide a stern CUSA test though, and Amanda Cromwell’s thrashing machine has been humming at full speed recently, with only a slip at Memphis halting their progress. The winner will likely be odds on to lift the conference title at the end of the year, and Rice will be in great position for an at-large bid if they manage to upset the odds on Sunday.

Wisconsin vs Illinois (1:00)

On a day where the Pac-10 and Conference USA titles could be decided on the pitch, the Big Ten will also likely see a team take a massive step towards winning the title when Illinois travels north to meet up with Wisconsin in Madison. The Badgers have come good at the right time of year, keeping their fearsome defense purring while scoring just enough to rack up the points. Illinois boast one of the country’s best freshman scoring threats in Vanessa DiBernardo. Her battle with the Badger defense figures to be an enthralling one. Whoever emerges on top in that tussle will have a big leg up in winning all three points and throwing the momentum of the conference race their way.

Alabama vs South Carolina (2:00)

If there were any doubts that Alabama weren’t just an act of smoke and mirrors, they had to have been erased by Friday’s performance against Florida. While the Tide hardly dominated the fixture with the Gators, they did something few have been able to do this season, getting something out of a match with the defending SEC champs, thanks to a late equalizer. Now comes another daunting task against a soaring South Carolina team who disposed of Auburn on Friday night, 3-1. The Tide know that an upset would likely put them in position to qualify for the NCAA Tournament but also know that the Gamecocks will have fresher legs on Sunday afternoon, having not been pushed to extra time.

Nebraska vs Missouri (2:00)

The bodies will be flying in a matchup of two very physical, very direct teams in Big XII play in Lincoln on Sunday. The Huskers have ridden the electric form of Morgan Marlborough to two straight wins and racked up nine goals in those matches in the process. They’ll run headlong into another bubble rival in the form of Missouri who have been doing bubble slaying of their own the past few weeks, knocking out Oklahoma and Colorado. The Tigers will have to do go this one without Alysha Bonnick though. Mizzou’s offensive sparkplug will serve a ban after being sent off against Colorado on Friday.

Texas A&M; vs Texas Tech (2:30)

A pair of the Big XII’s heavyweights (boy does THAT feel weird to say about Tech) will meet in College Station as both sides do their best to avoid being left in Oklahoma State’s wake. The Aggies have turned it around after their shock defeat against Colorado, doing well on Friday to ease past Baylor. Texas Tech found it a little rougher against Texas, being held to a dour scoreless draw in Austin. The Red Raiders should be safely in the NCAA field at the moment but would like to add a little oomph to their resume with a rare win in College Station. It’ll be tough going if they try and turn it into a shootout against the offensively inclined Aggies who can dial it up on the scoreboard in a hurry.

Washington vs Arizona State (2:30)

Arizona State are, somehow, in the RPI Top 10 despite quite clearly not being one of the top ten teams in the country. Go figure. Oddity of the RPI or not, the Sun Devils have still shown that they are a team not to be taken lightly through the course of the 2010 season. They face a tricky tie in Seattle against a Washington team that knows they need big results to get off the edge of the bubble. If ASU wants to mount an unlikely Pac-10 title challenge, they have to keep pace with the California schools and win against the Huskies on Sunday. A win would also keep the Sun Devils on pace for an NCAA seed and the right to possibly host a regional.

Auburn vs Florida (3:00)

It’s quite possibly the biggest match of Auburn’s season, as the Tigers are desperately in need of a positive result after a late collapse against South Carolina on Friday night. The Tigers are feeling the bite of attrition as well, as the home side were without Gabi Rivera and Sammy Towne through injury, and the lack of proven depth showed in the latter stages. They’ll be up against a Florida side seeing red after conceding a last minute equalizer against Alabama robbed them of two points and put them in second in the league on goal differential. The Gators will be eager to put that setback behind them and further erode the Tigers’ slim at-large hopes on Sunday afternoon.

Minnesota vs Purdue (3:00)

Once thought of as favorites for the Big Ten title, now Minnesota finds itself fighting to stay in the race after last week’s loss to Wisconsin on home turf. They need a win in the worst way with rigorous trips to Penn State and Ohio State to come next week. The Boilermakers come to Minneapolis with a little renewed momentum after beating Indiana on Thursday but realistically need a result here to keep their at-large bid hopes going as the season winds down. High stakes for both sides should equal an enthralling match on Sunday afternoon.

Southeast Missouri State vs Morehead State (3:00)

It’s a matchup of the leader of the Ohio Valley Conference and one of the large group of teams sitting in second place. Morehead State started poorly, taking big time beatings at Purdue and Toledo before a shocking loss against USC Upstate. But they appear to have come together at the right time, going 3-0-1 to open up OVC play. SEMO have themselves won three in a row and will have home advantage which they hope will tip things in their favor in this crucial conference showdown.

Santa Clara vs San Diego (4:00)

The opening of West Coast Conference play serves up a tantalizing fixture right from the start as San Diego looks to boost their NCAA Tournament hopes against a Santa Clara squad still looking to justify their ranking by the pollsters. The Toreros have been up and down for most of the season but did get a big boost by beating USC a second time last weekend. The Broncos were busy not making too many friends with their overtly defensive tactics against Stanford but will undoubtedly be devoting more numbers to attack against the Toreros.

USC vs Cal (4:00)

The Trojans may have ended their match against Stanford on the losing end, but they did manage to turn a few heads with a brave and gritty performance against the #1 team in the country. They’ll need to keep that tenacity going against a Cal team feeling the effect of being without Alex Morgan once more. The Bears are beginning to regress towards the pack in the Pac-10 and despite looking relatively safe for an at-large bid, would still like to get a win to wrap things up. A victory over the Trojans would certainly put any concerns to bed.

Texas vs Baylor (8:00)

Long after most of the teams in America have retreated to the couch to put their feet up or hopped on a bus or plane to get home, Texas and Baylor will meet in Austin in Sunday’s final match. The Horns are in an uncomfortable position, at the foot of the Big XII table, after early league action. Those early league woes have Texas sliding towards the edge of the bubble after having started so promisingly. Baylor will be looking for some fresh momentum of their own after being put through the paces by Texas A&M; with little difficulty. The winner will have a little breathing room from the end of the bubble while the loser will be scrambling to keep from slipping out of the field entirely.

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